This invention relates generally to centrifuges for separating constituents of a fluid mixture and, more particularly, relates to a centrifuge rotor which automatically isolates the separated constituents from the fluid mixture in a sealed chamber to prevent possible remixing with the remainder of the fluid mixture after the completion of the centrifugation operation.
By exposing certain fluid mixtures to very high speeds of rotation in a centrifuge it is possible to separate out various constituents of the mixture. An incident problem with the centrifugation operation relates to the possible remixing of the various separated constituents during the time that the rotor is decelerating to a complete stop from its high rotational speed. Consequently, various arrangements have been devised, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,239,136, 3,096,283 and 4,056,225 issued to George N. Hein, for sealing the separated fluid constituents in an annular chamber.
In the first two above-referenced patents the arrangements utilized to accomplish the sealing function are quite complicated and contribute to a more costly device. In addition, these two prior art arrangements do not operate automatically in response to the centrifugation operation to provide for both the automatic sealing and unsealing of the annular chamber. Although the U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,225 patent does provide for an automatic sealing and unsealing of the annular chamber during centrifugation, it utilizes a separate sealing element which contributes to the overall size of the rotor, as well as constituting a separate element in the rotor, representing an additional cost to the overall manufacture of the rotor.